Member Reviews

Plotted with all the care - and surprise twists and turns - of a great psychological thriller, but also beautifully written. The characters and setting were fantastic. A real page turning and literary treat.

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An interestingly different psychological suspense, with a great twist. I was less gripped by the eclipse details, but otherwise really enjoyed this.

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This book made me annoyed throughout...and I couldn't stop reading it! It tells the story of Kit and Laura, one horrible night at an eclipse festival and the subsequent fifteen years of hiding. The chapters are split between Laura's perspective and Kit's, which is a good way of rounding out the action and revealing certain aspects by drip feed. The subject matter is difficult - it deals with the rape of a girl, Beth, and the aftermath but the actual attack is not too graphically detailed and the author considers the emotional implications too. What made me annoyed was that the book described the prevailing culture in the justice system to put the woman involved on trial in terms of her sexual background. The very title of the book demonstrates the often painful result of going to court - it is his word against hers. I also was irritated by Laura, who was a little bit goody two shoes and Kit, who was a little bit ineffectual. Some of the reveals are shocking and the ultimate path of the story is pretty compelling. I can't say that I enjoyed this book, but it certainly kept me turning the pages.

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This book.. It is hard to describe this book because it was full of land mines. There was a kind of intricate plot that was full of twists all throughout. The storytelling was most interesting. The fact that the viewpoints changed between two characters and even among them between timelines, I expected to be maybe slightly confused but no. Not at all. If anything, it enhanced the tone of the book and added to the strength of the story. I easily jumped between characters and timelines, impatiently and desperately trying to piece together the whole picture. It was gripping, and intelligent, and it made me think.

I honestly don’t think I could say much without giving anything away, and even the smallest crack before anyone has a chance to experience this book for themselves would be a waste. An engrossing story with characters that you could be living with, passing by on the street, or even could easily be you.

A good example of psychological thriller, if you’re interested in such stories I have no doubt you’ll like this. If you look for a good mystery then yeah, that’ll do too. Thought provoking characterization, delicate everyday issues that are life altering in the least, this book had a lot on its plate. And yet not once have I been overwhelmed or felt that anything was undermined. One of my top thriller reads so far this year, I can feel it.

I’m adding five spoonfuls of this story into my hodgepodge, and cannot wait to delve in to other reads by Erin Kelly.

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A gripping, atmospheric, intelligent thriller that kept me guessing until the very end.

During a total eclipse Laura witnesses what she believes to be a rape. She, along with her boyfriend Kit report it to the police and before long find themselves embroiled in a bitter court hearing between the alleged attacker, victim and the witnesses and yep you guessed it, it becomes a he said she said battle.

Fifteen years later the events from that night are still affecting all those involved and before long all the secrets and lies that have been buried are starting to resurface.

Can the past be left in the past? Or will the truth finally be out?

An absolute must read for fans of psychological thrillers.

**Arc kindly provided from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review **

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A well thought out little twisty turny suspense. I enjoyed it throughly although it did take me a bit longer than normal books due to me taking a while to gel with the characters some i really just did not like, but im sure i wasnt suppose to like them anyway.. It held my attention and i really am a fan of the now/then format of writing.
Its full of young love, guilty consciences, a crimal offence and the repercussions and fall out because it.
I enjoyed reading it and look forward to the next book I read by Erin Kelly, definitely an aurthor thats been added to my 'watch' list.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author Erin Kelly and Hodder & Stoughton for an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest review

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I so enjoyed this, definitely a 5 star from me. Maybe a bit slow to get going but well worth the payoff and investment. Fantastic climax to the book. It is one of those books that builds a picture around an incident that happened a long time ago - but plays that plot-line much better than most authors manage.

Recommended!

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There has been a lot of buzz about this book (mainly on Twitter, which is always a good thing!) so sometimes I think books have a lot to live up to. Some do live up to the hype and some do not - this one to me was a success story!

Cleverly written in that you are never really sure what is going on in the head of each character but good enough to keep you guessing.

I read this quite quickly (and recommended to a friend too!) as I'm just the type of impatient person that just HAS to know!

Well written and gripping.

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Handling this sensitive topic with empathy, the author skillfully weaves a story of love and love lost, faith and faith lost, and of friendship hard won. This is a book of outstanding calibre, gripping to the very last sentence.

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I chose to read this book simply because it is written by Erin Kelly.
He Said/She Said deals with a difficult subject and although all the characters are likeable, and it is told in an interesting way, some of it felt a tad uncomfortable. I finished it a while ago but have spent until now mulling over what to write. I do recommend it but don't want to say too much and spoil it for others.

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A better than average psychological thriller. It's not often that I am surprised by twists in this genre but I have to admit that I really didn't see one coming this time.
A good 4 stars from me!
My thanks to Netgalley for this copy.

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I devoured this book in three days. An absolutely mesmerising read about, friendship, love, betrayal and lies all revolving around eclipses.
Kit and Laura are a married couple who share a passion for seeing total eclipses of the sun and they travel the world to see them. During the total eclipse in England in 1999 something so profound happens that in changes both their lives forever. What has been seen cannot be unseen, what has been done cannot be undone.
The story swaps between the present day and what happened in the aftermath of the eclipse teasing the reader to keep reading on to find out more about just what happens to Kit and Laura. The twist, when it comes is believable and shocking.
I must read more by Erin Kelly and if this book is anything to go by it will be a pleasure to do so.

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Absolutely loved this book, would recommend to everyone.

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Plot: He Said/She Said opens into the story fifteen years after the event it centres around, one which the reader is not immediately party too. Laura is pregnant and worrying as her husband Kit is about to set off to travel the world to see an eclipse. The focus of the worry is fear that he will run into Beth, a character who they seem to fear above all, but we’re as yet unsure why. The plot slowly reveals more and more about the event, an attack on a young woman at a previous eclipse festival, that has caused their lives to explode and for them to live in a state of fear.

My thoughts: He Said/She Said deals with some very difficult topics (trigger warning: there is a quite graphic rape scene), including the attack itself, anxiety and mental illness following the events, and the follow up court case. It was hugely interesting to read this and to understand how it all works, how unjust it can seem (or be) and how people deal with it.
Not only that, but the characters were excellent. They were all unreliable narrators and you’re never quite sure who’s telling the whole truth and who you should trust – I always love when characters trick me! A good read and one I would recommend.

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This book didn't grip me for a couple of chapters and I was debating whether to carry on reading but something invited me to continue and I was very pleased I did.

There was a desire to find out exactly what had happened and the time jumps and differing storylines eventually came together very neatly with a rather nice little twist right at the end.

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Good story that kept me intrigued. Very intelligently told! The very last end was dragged out though but this is a minor.

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This is a great book! It is well-written and incredibly well-plotted. I liked the multiple viewpoints, I liked the building of tension and I loved how cleverly written it was. It's difficult to say too much without giving some of the twists away - it is better not to know too much and to just dive in - so suffice to say it is a really good story and I didn't see the twists coming, right up to the very end! Very much looking forward to seeing what is next from Erin Kelly.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC of He said/She said.

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A very enjoyable read! I found this book very hard to put down, holding my attention right up to the last page. Whether it's fashion or coincidence, this is the third book I've read recently in which the narrative shifts between the principal characters, and backwards and forwards in time. I'm looking forward to reading a linear narrative again, but it has to be said that the time shifts, if done as well as this, keep the tension going. Brilliant!

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I found this book slow going to start with, but hang in there as it is definitely worth the read. Dont want to give any of the story away. You wont be disappointed, a great book, would be great on the screen too. Recommend highly 📚

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